Merry Christmas everyone! As a gift, I am giving you more than one chapter. Thanks for waiting patiently.

Jacob

It's morning already. My alarm screams at me from across the room. I don't know why I even bothered setting it. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep at all. I'm too riled up. Besides that, I'm depressed. Those emotions make for a very sleep-deprived guy.

"Turn that shit off!" Leah screams from the couch in the living room.

I groan as I slide out of the warmth of my bed. I jog across the cold floor to my phone and turn the alarm off. "What do you want for breakfast?" I shout to Leah. "Is Seth here?" Seth has spent the last few nights at Lizzie's. As of last night he hadn't told her about the werewolf thing.

"No. He texted me last night saying he and Lizzie will be at the Cullen house in time." Leah sounds exhausted. "Did you sleep as shitty as I did?" she asks when I step out of my room.

"I didn't sleep at all."

She is already folding the bed back into a couch. Like me, she sleeps practically nude. I have seen Leah naked more times than I care to count. As I watch, I long to feel attraction to her. I want to be able to feel something for someone other than Nessie. "I'm sure you will get some sleep on the plane," Leah suggests consulting me.

"Eggs good?"

"Sure."

I make my way to the kitchen where I am just about out of food. Luckily, Esme stocked the fridge with a few dozen eggs yesterday. She knew that I was no longer welcome for breakfast at the Cullen house. "Scrambled?"

"You bet."

As I cook the eggs, I think about what today will look like. We are expected at the Cullen house in an hour. The rest of the wolves and their imprints are probably already there or getting close. I know most the guys were planning on driving all night or getting a motel in town.

After we say our goodbyes to our imprints, we are driving to the airport. There, we evidently are meeting up with a large number of other vampires. From what Bella has said, I can expect about the same crew as last time the Volturri gave us trouble. I hope we have enough. There are so many leeches in the damn Volturri.

The flight to Italy will be long and mundane. When we reach Italy, we will all congregate near Volterra at a hotel. We will eat and sleep and prepare for the fight. From there, we will get in our groups and split up. The attack will begin bright and early Italy time in approximately two days.

"That smells good," Leah says from behind. I turn around and see her fully dressed and ready to go.

"Thanks," I mutter. It's hard to be peppy when my whole world is falling apart. I'm already worried sick about Nessie. She must be so sad this morning. I wish I could be there now, comforting her.

We sit at the table and eat in silence. I'm not sure how many eggs I manage to shove down my throat, but it is enough to at least fill me. Leah eats about as much before standing to do the dishes. As she cleans up, I go get dressed. I decide to wear a comfortable pair of basketball shorts, a t-shirt, and my old pair of sneakers. Not really travel clothes, but suitable for the trip.

"Time to go," I state when Leah comes out of the bathroom. "Ready?" She nods and gives me a small smile of encouragement. I can't be encouraged today though. Nothing will make me happy until we are home and safe.

We sprint to the Cullen house fairly quickly because we aren't bringing any luggage. These clothes will suffice for the entire trip. It's not like I really care if I look good. Besides that, I would bet serious money that Alice has brought extra clothes for each of us.

Before I can even see the house through the trees, I hear all the commotion. It doesn't take long for me to pick out Nessie's heartbeat. She's up and moving, most likely with her parents. We break through the forestry and descend on the house. Many cars are lined up in the front yard so they don't block access to the garage.

"Jacob's here," I hear Edward remark from inside the house. There's a small catching of the break. Sam comes around from the side of the house and nods at me seriously. He's holding his son, Malachi. Emily steps out from behind him. Tears stream down her face. This is going to be more difficult than I thought.

I jog to the front door and enter the house without knocking. The pack boys are everywhere. I can't even see past all the dark skin of my brothers. Quil is standing nearest to me, talking with Clair quietly. They seem to be arguing. Tis the season, I guess.

I finally find Emmett's eyes through the crowd. His nose is crinkled in disgust, but he smiles regardless. I push pack some of the guys and into the kitchen. Bella and Edward are sitting on the counters as Nessie eats a bowl of cereal. They both look so sad.

Nessie is making a point of not looking at me. "When we leaving?" I ask Edward.

"Leah's with you?"

"Yep."

"Then now," Edward replies. "Everyone! It's time to go. Can we please exit to the front yard?"

Everyone does as Edward says. Soon we are all in giant clumps out front. The Cullen's all take turns hugging Nessie. Edward and Bella hold onto her very tight. I have to look away because it hurts too much. Of course, looking away doesn't help either. Everywhere I turn, I see kissing and hugging. It's killing me.

"Jacob?" that small, beautiful voice sniffles. I turn to find Nessie staring right at me. Her eyes are puffy and red. I have to take a few deep breaths to keep myself from crying too. I don't move toward her or say a word. She needs to make the move because I don't know what she wants anymore. "Please come home."

I can't bear it any longer. I take the three long strides to her and lift her up into my arms. I only hold her tight because we are broken up. As much as I want to kiss her, I refrain. Hot tears spill onto my shoulder as I squeeze her against me. "Sure, sure," I mutter into her neck.

I hold her like that for a few more seconds before placing her gently on the ground. I kiss the top of her head and turn away so she can't see me cry. Emmett and Rosalie pull the Jeep out of the garage. I hop in back, flanked by Leah and Seth. Soon we are all driving down the highway in a long line. It feels like a funeral procession.